The Hard (Soft) Skills of Being a Change Leader FOSE, 2014

The Hard (Soft) Skills of Being a Change LeaderFOSE, 2014 Karen Davey-Winter, PMP, ACC www.worklifeperspectives.com

Introduction http://vimeo.com/12561213

What is this presentation about? “Mindfulness is all about paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment”. John Kabat-Zinn “Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present”. Psychology Today A successful change leader… Knows who they are Knows the impact they have Knows where the gaps are Is someone people believe and have faith in Is someone people follow This presentation will… Suggest some tools and techniques for greater self awareness Suggest some tools and techniques for collaborating, across cultures, in order to be a more successful change leader

Why is this important? • The amount of change caused by IT Projects is phenomenal • Project Managers are at the front line, leading the change…! • The way we show up as leaders impacts our ability to lead change successfully • …. and sometimes we have no idea how we show up, or the impact we have! • Excellence in Project Management involves Change Leadership

Some Definitions • Change Agent: • People who act as catalysts for change • Someone who directly or indirectly causes change • Change Leader • Ability to energize groups who will be implementing change projects that they may or may not have bought in to • A leader that creates a vision to guide people, through inspiration and commitment • A leader that initiates and manages the change process, and energizes it on an ongoing basis, removing roadblocks and/or accelerating its pace

Types of Change • Type I – That which is done to us. • Very few people like this type of change! • It violates our sense of independence, freedom and control of our own destiny • Most likely to resist within the context of organizational change • Type II – That which we do to ourselves. • This type of change is very different • We're in control. We're deciding for ourselves that doing something different is necessary • Because it's our decision, we don't "resist" our decision to change • Type III – That which we do to others. • Change from the other side of the fence • If we're inflicting Type III Change, then it’s perceived by the receiver as Type I Change

Emotional Intelligence – The Foundation

The foundation – Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman… “Emotional Intelligence, at the most general level, refers to the abilities to recognize and regulate emotions in ourselves and in others” Past thinking… IQ scores are an important indicator of how successful someone will be in the work place Emotions should be checked at the door Current thinking… Emotional Quotient (EQ) is now considered at least as critical a factor to someone’s success in the work place as IQ Emotions can help us perform more effectively if managed and used appropriately

Why is EI important? • Some statistics*: • 34% of hiring managers says they place greater emphasis on EI in the recruitment process • 71% of employers said they value EQ more highly than IQ • 75% say they would most likely promote a person with high EQ • Emotional Intelligence is foundational for developing leadership skills including: • Influencing skills • Negotiating skills • Collaboration skills • Motivating staff • Building effective teams • Managing conflict

Why is EI necessary for Project Managers? Technology projects are often organized in a matrix structure Need for influencing skills is high Need for negotiating skills is high Need for collaboration skills is high People are key to the success of a project Need to motivate staff, especially when they are matrixed to the project Need to build effective teams Need to manage conflict Technology is only useful in the enablement that it provides for people Need to understand the impact of change on people’s emotions and how to navigate through that to keep a project on track Project Managers and Technology Leaders need to deliver! Goals of a project need to be achieved

Emotional Intelligence Skills Assessment

Perceiving Ability to accurately recognize, attend to and understand emotions Allows you to… Understand your own emotions Be attuned to the emotions of others Demonstrate empathy Differentiate between emotions Higher EISA scores in Perceiving reflect and awareness of emotional signals and an ability to apply those to a situation

Perceiving • People with LOW perceiving skills…. • Difficulty discriminating between emotions • Exhibiting less positive emotions • Likely to be emotionally unpredictable • People with HIGH perceiving skills…. • Greater ability to discriminate between emotions • Ability to gauge intensity of feelings • Ability to show empathy • Likely to be more emotionally predictable • Empathy is a foundational component of Emotional Intelligence • Our ability to perceive emotions in ourselves and others is key to being able to show empathy

Perceiving and Empathy

Empathy

Managing Ability to effectively manage, control and express emotions Ability to… Successfully manage emotions Effectively control emotions Appropriately express emotions Involves managing your mood, body language and emotional responses Shows up in how we interpret and react to an emotional response

Managing • People with LOW managing skills… • Mismatch of emotions • Cope less effectively with stress • Difficulty building rapport and emotional networks • People with HIGH managing skills…. • Show appropriate expressions of emotions • Improved coping skills • More meaningful interpersonal relationships

Managing and the Ladder of Inference Event Result Interpretations Response

Self Awareness – Building on the Foundation

Mindfulness, Judgment and Choice Source – Marilee Adams, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life

Collaboration – Successfully Leading Others

Collaboration Source – Jim Tamm, Radical Collaboration

Collaboration My/our interests Their interests Source – Jim Tamm, Radical Collaboration

Collaboration My/our interests Their interests • To get people the information they need to be able to use the new laptops • To finish the project on schedule • To have people see the project as a success Source – Jim Tamm, Radical Collaboration

Collaboration My/our interests Their interests • To get people the information they need to be able to use the new laptops • To communicate in a timely manner • To finish the project on schedule • To have people see the project as a success • To upgrade the technology so that future support is easier • To use new and efficient tools for deployment • To finish the project on schedule • To have people see the project as a success Source – Jim Tamm, Radical Collaboration

Cross Cultural Awareness – Leading Across the Globe

What is culture? Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another. -Geert Hofstede, Culture’s Consequences Culture is…a system for creating, sending, sorting, and processing information… - Dr. Edward T. Hall, Understanding Cultural Differences The way we do things around here.

What is Cultural Competence? • Cross cultural communication • Orientation to culture & acculturation processes • Trust building by leveraging differences • Thinking outside of personal cultural boundaries

Culture = Software of the Mind • Visible • Cultural signs and symbols - language, food, clothing, art, architecture, music. • Beneath the surface • More extensive… • We give little thought about the impact of cultural upbringing on assumptions and values • Behaviors – are shaped by our values VALUES ASSUMPTIONS BELIEFS Source - ITAP International

Understanding Cultural Differences Source – abridge from ITAP International

Summary What’s your action plan to get the result you want? How do you show up? Action Perspective Continuous Learning/ Self Improvement Insight What’s the gap between the impact you have and the impact you want to have?

Thank you! Questions? www.lulu.com www.amazon.com www.bn.com karen@worklifeperspectives.com www.karendaveywinter.com

The Hard (Soft) Skills of Being a Change Leader FOSE, 2014